Page 22 of Bitter Sweet Love

I laughed, and he cocked his head to the side. “I’m fine. I can’t help it,” I said, grasping his wrists. “That was funny.”

“Only you would find that mess funny.”

“Whatever.” I rose, using his arms to brace myself. Adrenaline was kicking through my veins. Maybe that was why I did what I did next. Or maybe it was because I’d been wanting him to kiss me again since the last time our lips touched. Closing my eyes, I pressed my lips against his. On contact, he sucked in a deep breath. His lips were wet and firm and absolutely wonderful. I settled back on my feet, sliding my hands to where his tangled in my hair.

We stood there as a crowd gathered behind us, taking in the spectacle of the river that had taken over Times Square. People passed us by, and either we were invisible to them or they were oblivious to us in that moment. And there was no past between us in that second or future, there was just now—right now.

Dez’s eyes glowed with want. “I think I really like that demon.”

I laughed, thinking that must be a first. We reached for each other at the same time, so I don’t know who was holding whose hand, but the smile remained plastered on my face right up until it was late and we called it a night.

All the excitement exhausted me, but a different kind of weariness sprung alive when we stepped into the hotel room and my gaze fell to the bed. My heart rate tripped. We were going to be sleeping in that bed. Together. Just him and me. Us. Why I needed to run through the different ways of saying we were sleeping together was beyond me, but it still didn’t seem real.

Sleeping together in a room that was not in a houseful of others of our kind made everything seem so different, much more adult and intimate. As though we’d been playing at being grown-ups but not anymore.

I gathered up my sleep clothes and changed quickly. Part of me wanted to linger in the bathroom, but if I did, there was a good chance I’d crawl into the big tub and go to sleep.

When I returned to the main room, Dez was already in bed. A flash of heat shot through me as I stopped at the foot of the bed, twisting my fingers together.

Dez’s gaze slid my way. He’d changed while I’d been in the bathroom, wearing a white cotton shirt and hopefully bottoms to sleep in. His thick lashes shielded his eyes.

“What are you doing?” he asked, a smile in his voice.

I shrugged one shoulder.

He grinned. “Are you going to stand there and watch me sleep?”

My nose wrinkled. What did he think I was? A creeper? “No.”

“Then come on.” He patted the bed next to him. “I don’t bite. Unless you want me to.”

The kind of heat that flushed my face could fry eggs. Dez laughed deeply. “I’m kidding, Jas. Come on. I’m tired and I won’t be able to sleep without you getting in the bed.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he replied, yawning. “I’d be too worried about you being uncomfortable. And possibly staring at me while I sleep.”

“I’m not going to watch you sleep!”

“Whatever.”

I crept forward, until I was halfway up the big bed. He yawned again, casting his attention to the TV. Dragging in a deep breath, I grabbed the edge of the covers and slid in, settling on my back.

My chest was rising and falling so fast I swore I could see the blanket move.

“Good night, Jas.”

That was it? He was seriously going to sleep and wasn’t going to, I don’t know, test out this bed? I should’ve felt relieved, but... but I was disappointed in a way. “Good night.”

Seconds stretched into minutes and then Dez rolled onto his side, facing me. I held my breath. Another handful of seconds ticked by and then my body moved without my brain really catching up to it.

I rolled onto my side, and our gazes locked. There was a foot between us, but the space felt nonexistent as we stared at each other. In that moment I didn’t think I’d ever be able to sleep, but the beauty of his blue eyes and the slight smile on his lips was the last thing I saw before I slipped away.

Even dedicating a full day to touring New York City the following day, there was no way I could visit every museum, see every street I’d only read about or visit all the landmarks. We’d spent an ungodly amount of time in a toy store that seemed to have everything.

That night, together, we flew over the city to Ellis Island and then back to the Upper West Side, landing among the majestic statues of our kind and gazing down at the shimmering lights of the cars and street lamps below us.

I thought about that morning and felt warmth bubbling in my chest. When I woke up, I’d been half sprawled on him, my leg thrown over his and my head nestled in the crook of his shoulder. Unless he had dragged me over him in the middle of the night, which could be plausible, it had been me that had sought him out. He hadn’t seemed to mind, though. His arm had been secure around my waist.

---